Atoms are not street legal here in Canada, although way back in the past, there was a guy in Ontario who has managed to get his Atom insured for street use. In the US, they can be street legal -- I have a friend in CA who had one like that, and he was crazy enough to drive it up from the Bay Area up to the Ridge for a track day one time LOL~

With this particular sample, at a minimum it is lacking all the mandatory lights and possibly a windshield. But even if you were to acquire those pieces, I still don't know how you'd be able to get insurance coverage for it.

my buddy drove his grandmas MINT slk for a year or so after she passed away. it had always been garage kept, and was basically in new condition.

doesn't matter w the top down but with it up no matter what the weather was like or where we went it fogged up like crazy. not sure if it was just that car or if they are all prone to it. permanent HVAC full blast!

As a fan of aging BMW's this is unsurprising and yet, I still like them.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...84&oe=60DF6BC6

For the 5 year old models, BMW is actually doing the best.

I guess that's the moral of the story right there?

On the other hand, Porsche is basically dead last no matter how you cut it LOL~

I don’t think any of those cars are being properly maintained at those costs to be totally honest. The prices of the best cars is barely covering the cost of an oil change.

Thinking of picking up an E36 in the near future, any suggestions to year and model? I’m hoping for a M3 but it may be out of my budget as they are climbing up slowly in value. Do verts and 318is suck? I’m just looking for a nice summer vehicle that will hold its value.

Yup, and what's my summer car, an aging Porsche! Good times.

They are all fun. 318s are very slow though. The e36 M3s are pretty easy ownership compared to other M cars. Lots of aftermarket support for all of them and insanely easy to work on. I’d recommend 96+ because obd2 is easier to work with and they had some updates in the quality of construction. If you get a vert, they are a wet noodle of a chassis, but still a cool cruiser. Watch for greasy flippers selling junk cars with a polish and shiny wheels.

Thanks man ! I’ll likely try to find a clean 328is, or maybe a higher km M3

Really not much between a 328 and a usdm m3. Just do an m50 manifold swap, exhaust and Miller war chip or wtv and you’re almost at the same power

It is literally impossible to find an E36 vert with a working top. As much as I like the shape for the money just get a e92 328i at least it's hard top and not falling apart.

can't trust that list with mini and chrysler that high

There's a lot between them beyond 50hp. Brakes, suspension, reinforced subframe, interior, LSD, body styling.
They are both good cars, but spend 5k on a 328 and it's still 10k away from a 15k m3, if you want to replicate that.

Send any you want my way. I'll give you any advice I can about things to avoid, cars that I know things about in the local market, where to dig deep, what's a dealbreaker, etc.

How about this?

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/nvn...323260705.html

^^ I'm surprised it hasn't sold, but it doesn't fit my requirement to be an efficient daily, obviously it's not reliable

I'd consider it at that price if there wasn't a spec of rust. If there honestly is only that bit, and you'd need to DIG to make sure, budget 2k for the panel, paint, and trunk lid. So 12-13k would be fair. The car is pretty well known in the community to be enthusiast owned an maintained, but rust doesn't come easy on these cars, so it's worrisome.
What makes it "obviously not reliable."

it's a great daily, and it's super reliable. that's the beauty of the USDM S5x motor vs the high strung euro cars.

mine has never failed to take me where I need to go in 7 years, and it has 140k miles on it.

an e92 on the other hand - forget about it. our same vintage X3 (n52) is an absolute POS

the red car is a well know local car. go offer him 11k because of the rust. will profit on it

As someone who has owned a few e36 in the past. I can say that they don't age well at all. I find them to be quite fragile. Unless the car is garage kept, lightly driven, and religiously maintained by all of its previous owners, it's going to become a shitty experience owning one. I wouldn't recommend anyone buying one as an A to B mode of transportation. They are better served as a fun weekend toy or project car for those who like to wrench.

+1

Enjoyed my E36 M3. Will never buy again. Cannot recommend. But see my signature.

On 8 years of dailying mine and doesn’t seem to be causing me much stress. It’s religiously maintained, but it’s not babied.
It’s not the case on my car, as I’m usually replacing bits before issues arise, or being careful with what I know is fragile, but when e36 shit for the average owner breaks, it’s annoyances like interior clips and saggy headliners and the like. As long as your cooling system has been maintained you aren’t getting stuck on the side of the road, or a big parts bill.

Can't say much about the car, other than that it has seen its share of autox events. On the other hand, the good professor -- ie. the current owner -- is 100% a stand up and genuinely good person. He is not going to BS you on stuff about the car.

I know the Touring's are popular here, this is easily the lowest mileage one I've seen for awhile! I wonder what happened to the BMW badge on the hood, looks like it might be half missing? Some suspicious looking corrosion where the hood closing pin goes in too...

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds...331517698.html

^ enamel probably faded away haha, it can happen on those badges.

^^ I guess it just breaks then

"The breaks and tires are good. Slight shake when you press the breaks, but it just needs an alignment adjustment."

Didn't know alignments fixed breaks